With 12 km and 290 ascent this is more a walk than a hike. We did this walk in December 2021.
Radishani is a settlement about 10 km from Skopje. You can park at the parking of the cemetery of Radishani (42°04’21.0″N 21°26’54.0″E).
The Church of St Nikola is located about 100 m on the small hill opposite to the parking of the cemetery. The church dedicated to St Nikola was erected in the 16th century. According to the guidebook “Byzantine Heritage of Skopje” by Vasilka Dimitrovska (2019, HAEMUS Center for Scientific Research and promotion of Culture, https://haemus.org.mk/) the fresco paining is from 1631. The church was restored in 1980-81.
Interestingly, outside of the church of St Nikola it seems that several spolia were used. Spolia are re-purposed building stones from much earlier periods. They are incorporated in the floor in front of the church of St Nikola and the stone benches that are attached to the church.
The other old church, dedicated to St George, is located on the cemetery of Radishani. This church is likely also from the 16th century and is very similar to the church of St Nikola. Also the inside of the church of St George contains some interesting frescoes. According to Wikipedia the Church of St. George was the main village church of Radisani until the end of the sixties. It was once destroyed during Turkish rule and then rebuilt in the early 19th century.
Starting at the cemetery, follow the trail until you reach the larger asphalt road. We crossed the road and followed the trail between the fields, that eventually reaches a dirt road . This trail between the fields started to get a bit overgrown at some places but was well do-able. Alternatively you can follow the asphalt road which should connect to the dirt-road a bit more to the north, but this seemed to be a less attractive option.
Follow the dirt-road downhill to the south for about 3 km and make a left turn to head to the Church of St Nedela. Although Openstreetmap showed a path leading to the church from here, the path seemed to have disappeared due to recent farming activity. Nevertheless, we made our way down following the path that was on the digital map.
The church of St Nedela was closed.
From the Church of St Nedela it’s about 3 km walking back to the cemetery, mainly via a small trail through farmland.
Because this is not really a hike because of the limited height difference and urban character, it gets 2.5 out of 5 stars. It was a good walk though to get some fresh air on a winter afternoon.
Since you’re in the neighbourhood, you may want to pay a visit to the nearby village Kuchevisthe and the Church of St Bogorodica/St Spas and the Monastery St Archangels.
You can view and download the GPS track of this hike here: https://www.wikiloc.com/hiking-trails/radishani-churches-st-nikola-st-george-and-st-nedela-102487473
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